Michael Pacheco

Payment processing auditor — Business Payment Systems. From a $50,000-a-month restaurant to a regional hospital system.

I read merchant statements at no charge and no obligation. If I can save you money, I'll show you exactly how. If your current setup is fair, I'll tell you that too. You'll know what you're paying for either way.

The 3-Minute Statement Audit

Step I · of V

Your effective rate

Find your total fees. Divide by total volume. That's the number that matters — not the headline rate on your agreement. Most owners discover their effective rate runs higher than they expected.

Step II · of V

Line items worth verifying

Some statement lines have an underlying service tied to them; some don't. PCI non-compliance, for example, is tied to filing the annual self-assessment — once the SAQ is filed (free), the fee goes away. For lines like technology and breach protection fees, ask your processor what specific service each is tied to. Flag any line you can't trace to a service.

Step III · of V

How they're charging you

Three models exist: interchange-plus (transparent), tiered (every transaction sorted into qualified / mid / non-qualified), and flat-rate (one number for everything). Tiered is the hardest model to verify line-by-line. Interchange-plus is the easiest.

Step IV · of V

When the money lands

Standard funding is next business day, excluding weekends and holidays. Anything slower than that costs you working capital. Check whether your account batches automatically or requires you to close out each night.

Step V · of V

If your customers pay with corporate cards

Visa and Mastercard charge less interchange when extra invoice data travels with the transaction — Level 2 (counter sales) and Level 3 (invoiced B2B). Many setups don't have this turned on — worth asking if yours does. Building materials, steel, and tag/title operations save the most when it's enabled.

Send your statement

Want me to run the audit on yours? Forward the last full processing statement. I'll walk you through every line — what's a pass-through, what carries markup, and what has no service behind it.

Notes on Payments